


All That Glitters Is Not Gold

by Luv_Bowie_Luver



Category: David Bowie (Musician), Yellowbeard (1983), pirates - Fandom
Genre: Adult Humor, Bargaining, Breast Sucking, Bribery, Bullying, Child Abadonment, Clay Pipes, Consensual Sex, Dubious Consent, Erotica, F/M, Flirting, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Rape, M/M, Morbid Humor, Multi, Murder, Ocean Voyage, Pirates, Sexual Abuse, Slash, Smoking Tobacco, Smut, Strong Language, Superstition, Survival, Violence, beatings, bordello, homeless, just for fun, loose plot, rations, stowaway, trickery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-21 08:59:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 19,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6045667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luv_Bowie_Luver/pseuds/Luv_Bowie_Luver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shark is a handsome young pirate with an endearing smile, he seems sweet and sometimes just a little misguided or misunderstood. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth for this calculating cutthroat and when he discovers a woman onboard trying to get home, he finds out that life isn't all about riches and taking liberties with human lives. But will he ever change?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Never Trust A Shark

 

Spring was a good time of the year to be just about anywhere, huddled away in a corner of the globe was a small village town that was thriving with tourists who had come from near and far for it’s spring festivities. The docks were filled with ships and the salty sea air was warm and welcoming as a gentle breeze blew all around, keeping the climate temperate and comfortable. There were a lot of smiling faces and plenty of cash flow to keep the little town going for another year at least, their fishing boats and small exports of crops and supplies being the main income for the rest of the time. It was early morning and the only upset at this quiet hour, was a man known only as ‘Shark’ being thrown out of the local brothel. He stumbled, still buckling up his belt and turned to face his abuser.  
  
  
“..And don’t you ever come back!” the better dressed man snarled.  
  
  
“I’m sorry,” Shark apologized, bewildered, “I don’t understand, what have I done wrong?”  
  
  
“I’ll tell you what you did,” the man glared at him, grasping his wrist firmly, “you only paid for one girl and you’ve been seen with at least four others! I’ll have the authorities take you in for that!”  
  
  
“Oh.. “ Shark looked suddenly sheepish, “th-there’s been a misunderstanding, oh I feel so embarrassed! Where I come from, you see, we just pay at the door and have at it.. I’m so sorry, I feel terrible! Yes, call the authorities.. “  
  
  
The man softened his eyes and let go of Shark’s wrist, clearing his throat and straightening himself up.  
  
  
“Yes, well.. “ the man looked a bit uncertain now, “see that it doesn’t happen again. I’ll let you off this time.”  
  
  
Shark looked genuinely relieved, but he was soft spoken and people found that his British accent made him sound intelligent. Of course he was very clever and quick witted, one might even say cunning, but he often played it down so as not to appear too proper, he'd never get away with anything if people thought he was rich gentry.  
  
  
“Oh thank you so much, sir!” Shark breathed with a half smile, “I’d pay you, I would but.. I don’t even have enough to get home.. I feel awful.”  
  
  
The man inclined his head, looking over the younger male. Shark's expression was apologetic, his eyes big and sad for what he'd done and the brothel owner felt badly for him. His heart went out to the handsome blonde fellow, so producing a small pouch, he opened it up to Shark and thrust it towards him.  
  
  
“Here,” he spoke gently, intending for Shark to take a few coins from inside. Shark took the entire pouch, surprising the man.  
  
  
“Oh, thank you!” Shark was instantly ecstatic, “you are truly kind sir, I shall tell everyone I meet to come by your brothel, I swear! Thank you!”  
  
  
He was backing away as he praised, leaving the man stunned as to what had just happened. Shark hurried on towards the center of town, shoving the pouch into his pocket and looking around quickly to make sure he wasn’t being followed. He smirked to himself for a job well done, not only had he just had the time of his life last night with no less than 6 women but he’d got it all for free with some extra coin for his efforts. There was easily enough in that pouch to have paid for all six women, so he picked up his pace and walked just a little faster to be on the safer side of things. Glancing up at the store signs, he noticed they were opening up and he went into one to have his boots mended. While he sat and waited, Shark kept an eye on the window because he thought that sooner or later, the authorities might actually come looking for him. He need not have worried though, the man was too embarrassed to admit that he'd simply handed over the pouch, how was that stealing? He couldn't call upon anyone without having to either lie or admit that he'd been quite foolish!  
  
  
He consoled himself with the hopes that Shark would live up to his word and send him richer clients, he had no idea the young man was a pirate because Shark was quite good at deception and trickery. He'd lived on a ship for as long as he could remember, before that he was nothing more than an abandoned street urchin but he never struggled to survive. Shark used his cuteness back then to make people want to give him things, he wore nice clothes because of this and so was not regarded as homeless or dirty. But there was something about him that few, if anyone, ever actually understood. While he appeared sweet and misunderstood on the surface, Shark lived up to his nickname and was actually quite cold blooded, so to speak. Not much could faze him. For example, one of his best friends died right beside him onboard and he had simply cast the man a quick glance before getting up and just walking away. No tears, no outward grief or sadness and he had a new best friend within the hour, having received comfort from them for feelings and emotions that he was supposed to have had at that point in time.  
  
  
Shark was hard to miss, with eyes unlike anyone else’s anywhere in the world. Both blue but one pupil damaged beyond repair, making that one eye (the left) seem green or brown in different lighting. He stood up as his boots were placed upon the counter, looking them over to inspect them while the clerk waited for his approval.  
  
  
“I really could do with some socks,” Shark told the clerk, “you’ve done an excellent job, a fine job sir, if I may say so. I just wish.. I had a bit more money sir.”  
  
  
The clerk looked up at him and felt sympathetic towards the young man, who looked like he was fighting back tears of embarrassment. But again, Shark was well kept and didn't look anything like a beggar nor a pirate, so sympathy was easily gained here.  
  
  
“Tell you what,” the kindly clerk offered, placing a few pairs of socks on top of the mended boots, “just take them, you can pay me another time.”  
  
  
He smiled and Shark gathered up the lot, putting his boots on and thanking the clerk profusely as he left the shop quickly, before the clerk could figure out that he’d taken the boots and the socks without paying him at all. The clerk stood there for a while, a confused expression on his face, he had only meant for the socks to be taken without payment, he made them with the free leftover wool from the farmers just out of town. But the mended boots weren’t part of that offer, of course he did not call anyone, figuring it to be his own fault for the misunderstanding and chalking it up to a lesson learned. He’d have to be a lot clearer in the future..  
  
  
Shark glanced up at the shop signs once more, but there weren’t any others he was particularly interested in, so he continued making his way towards the docks. The ship he had come in on was the biggest ship in port, they had been docked here for only two days so far and the Captain didn’t like to stay in one place for any longer than three. Shark got his name a long time ago, when he'd first come up with the idea of pretending to be a shark in the water to extract information out of those unwilling to be thrown overboard. Just as well he could swim and that there weren't any real sharks around whenever he did this, or he might have ended up as dinner instead. He'd started out as nothing more than the Cabin Boy, from what little he could recall, he'd been picked up by the pirates for his cleverness after having tricked some of the crew out of their property without them even realizing it until it was too late. But they had found him later on and dragged him into their world, opening up a whole new set of opportunities for the young waif. He'd only been around four or five at the time, but Shark was a very sweet boy with bright blue eyes and a smile that melted even the coldest of hearts, he could take just about anything and rarely ever did anyone actually punish him for it once he'd cried 'misunderstanding' and put on his saddest expression for them to see.  
  
  
Approaching the huge vessel, Shark looked around and glanced up, the Captain was standing on deck and waved him aboard. 


	2. The Spider's Web

Boarding this ship was only allowed with the Captain’s permission, if you were not part of the crew, you were not welcomed to set foot upon its deck. Shark stood before the Captain, who was called Spider for many different reasons. One of them being that, once drawn into his clutches, there simply was no escape. Anyone caught trying to abandon the ship, either at sea or while in port, was immediately marked for death. Conditions aboard the ship were only as decent as each individual could make it for himself, there was no free sharing of anything unless between friends, but being pirates.. well, friendship never really counted for much anyway and one was likely to find his rations missing rather than doubled at the end of the day. So it was every man for himself, only pulling together to make sure the ship sailed smoothly and attacks and raids were hugely successful. You got to keep anything you stole, with the only exception being that the Captain took his share of everything, since it was his ship and keeping it in good condition was costly. Shark looked towards the rising sun, his eyes as azure and deep blue as the sky itself and Captain Spider often felt mesmerized by them, he could stare at them for hours.  
  
  
“We’ll be shoving off today,” Spider told Shark, who squinted as the sun affected his left eye, since that pupil could not close and thus failed to filter out any light.  
  
  
“Aye Captain,” Shark nodded, turning his gaze to the much larger male, “shall I spread the word?”  
  
  
“No. I’ll be raising the flag soon enough,” Spider spoke firmly but less harshly to Shark than he did to anyone else. Spider had known Shark since he was a toddler, much of his crew had been exchanged or replaced, save for a few here and there who also knew Shark from an early age. It was this very Captain who had taken Shark aboard and kept him as a son, then a Cabin Boy and now his First Mate.  
  
  
Shark nodded and wandered off to the Captain’s Quarters, only he and Spider were allowed in there. This was the only room on the ship that was locked with a key, Shark left everything in here that he did not want to get stolen by the rest of the crew and Spider allowed for this without question. First Mate position certainly had its perks, but facing the envious and jealous sneering from the other pirates was a downside that Shark had to endure on a daily basis. They called him pretty because he was usually clean and the only one onboard with blonde hair, they liked to spend their coin on women and drink while Shark kept his for not so piratey things, such as hygiene products and clean clothes to change into. He wasn’t muscular like some of the fighters onboard, but he had a lightly toned physique and could lift almost as much as anyone else.  
  
  
On a pirate ship, if you weren’t useful then you were out of luck and so Shark always made sure that he was irreplaceable. It was survival of the fittest, the smartest and the quickest out here - not necessarily the strongest. Shark took out several items and left them on the bed, including the pouch filled with coins and the extra pairs of socks he’d picked up in town. Spider would put them away later, it was important that Shark leave them where they could be found easily by the Captain, for inspection and to show off what he’d brought back in hopes of a reward or some other small favor for his efforts. Keeping in good with Captain Spider was paramount to Shark’s survival, Spider would always keep a sharp eye out for any trouble brewing among his crew and if Shark should ever find himself pinned to the wall somewhere, you could almost guarantee that Spider would have his cutlass at the aggressor’s throat within seconds of the confrontation. It didn’t matter who had started it, Shark was the favorite and that was the end of the argument. Nobody really did try to hurt Shark though, most of the crew actually tolerated him, if only because he really was the only good looking one onboard the whole ship. There was more to it than that, of course. Shark was very good at being everybody’s best friend, usually whilst fleecing them blind..  
  
  
Captain Spider walked to the edge of the deck, overseeing the supply crates being loaded up onto the ship. Supplies and repairs were costly, but he was easily rich enough to pay for them because of his crew and especially because of Shark, who now approached him silently.  
  
  
“You know what to do,” Spider grumbled softly. Shark nodded and headed down to speak with those who would ask for payment soon, while Spider raised the flag to signal the rest of the crew. Once they noticed it, they would immediately start to head towards the ship for fear of being left behind and mistaken for a deserter. The town was a prosperous one, with fishermen, farming exports and several brothels. It had a large port to encourage more tourists and sailors to stop in and spend their gold, trade their wares and spread the good word after they’d left. 


	3. The Invisible Thief

Word had started to get out that there were pirates in town, hence Spider’s eagerness to get sailing before they were caught out and locked up to be hanged within a week of their capture. Shark passed idly by a fishing trawler, which had a net filled with fish looming over the wharf. There were several cats hiding among the many crates and boxes, ready to snatch up a stray fish that might slip through the nets or if it was lucky enough, pounce upon a gull that was ready and waiting for the exact same opportunity and not paying attention to its surroundings. But the cats and the gulls were intent on the fresh fish, preferably still alive, so when Shark walked by a small carcass that was mostly bone with the head and tail still just barely recognizable, he was not surprised that it hadn’t been eaten. He knelt down and picked it up, unable to help his curiosity, morbid or otherwise.  
  
  
“Excuse me?” came the voice of a lady from nearby. Shark stood up quickly, not thinking as he shoved the fish into his pocket and wincing uncomfortably as he realized what he’d just done seconds later.  
  
  
“Good Morning Miss,” Shark bowed his head politely, for she dressed and spoke as if she were quite well off. She held a parasol over her shoulder and wore a fancy bonnet on her head, her dress was made from nothing short of the finest materials and she carried a bag with her shopping inside of it. She smiled at him, amused at the strange face he’d pulled a moment ago and feeling pity towards him because of the way he smelled so oddly of dead fish.  
  
  
“Good Morning my good sailor,” she responded politely in return, lifting her chin to ensure he was aware of her above status over him. Shark kept his head down a little, it made him angry that people had to behave better than everybody else but he showed the woman only his kindest and brightest of grins.  
  
  
“How can I help you, Miss?” Shark wondered, not bothering to correct her that he was not actually a sailor at all, but a pirate.  
  
  
He didn’t look much like your average pirate, he didn’t sport a thick beard or have lice infested hair that needed treating at every port they docked into and his teeth were far from stained or rotting. He actually looked quite handsome and healthy, making the most of his brief time in any town to look after his diet and drink plenty of fresh water. Out at sea, water went stale pretty quickly and there wasn’t anything else to drink that’d keep over months at a time except rum and the like, so much of the time everybody was either drunk or hungover. Shark had little to no interest in drinking that much, so he only took enough to keep him going and while it ended up making him just a little drunk in the end, he never ended up anywhere near as raging drunk as the others.  
  
  
“I’m supposed to be meeting my husband here in a few minutes,” the woman told him, “would you take this bag for me please?”  
  
  
She blushed as she held it out towards him, there were some items inside of it that she wanted to keep her husband from seeing. Shark accepted the gift and held the bag close to his body, thinking that she was very generous indeed to have given him her groceries.  
  
  
“Thank you so much,” the woman smiled at him, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”  
  
  
She left quickly and expected him to wait there for her to return, so that she could collect her bag and continue on home but Shark misunderstood and simply walked away. He had something to do right now, it was more important than standing around waiting for her to come back for whatever reason she had failed to mention. With a swagger in his step and radiating confidence, Shark approached the men who were almost done loading up the ship’s supplies.  
  
  
“That’s the last of it,” one of them turned towards Shark with a friendly grin, “looks like you’re heading out?”  
  
  
“Yeah,” Shark nodded, sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand, fitting in with them and relaxing his stance to a more casual one, “places to go, women to roger, you know the deal.”  
  
  
The men laughed and smirked knowingly at him, nodding.  
  
  
“Yes we know,” another one of them piped up, making a crude gesture with his hips several times.  
  
  
“So listen, I really need to get going,” Shark told them, “so I’ll see you boys later.”  
  
  
“Hold up,” he was grabbed by the shoulder, “you haven’t paid us yet.”  
  
  
Shark looked at him with a sad sort of smile and the man let go of him, frowning with casual interest.  
  
  
“I mean, well, you know how it is,” the man explained, “we got families to feed.”  
  
  
“Oh, of course,” Shark agreed, “yes, oh I bet your little ones are adorable.”  
  
  
“I can’t complain,” grinned the man, “my son is growing up to be a strapping young man.”  
  
  
“Aha, takes after his father,” Shark boasted, backing away with a short nod and a grin, “you must be so proud!”  
  
  
“I am that,” the man agreed, unawares as he returned the nod and watched Shark turn away and head back onto the ship. It wasn’t until after it was almost out of sight that they all suddenly remembered that they hadn’t actually been paid..


	4. Sailing By Moonlight

Just down below deck were the Crew’s Quarters, among other various sections of the ship, including a room set aside for washing. Rainwater was collected for washing clothes, because the salt in the seawater would gather moisture and thus keep the clothes damp for far longer than fresh water ever did. There were some large, wooden tubs for the men to sit in and bathe if they so wished, sponges were available but they would need to provide their own soap and shampoo. Many of the pirates preferred to keep their natural body oils, thinking it was better for their health or protection from the elements and they only bathed perhaps once a month or less, if ever. They were all males on the ship, everyone had their musky man scent and were quite used to it by now, so it made for further alienation of Shark. He liked to keep himself very clean, only going without bathing if it wasn’t possible to get anywhere near the tubs or if the weather was too rough for the water to stay inside of them.

  
  
There was a lot of commotion now that they were free of the town, stories were being swapped and boasts were being bragged about. It was entertaining to hear of each man’s adventures and experiences during the few days they’d been ashore, from sexual romps to lucky gambles, nothing was left out of the storytelling that night during dinner. The first week after docking was always the best, everyone was in high spirits, there was red and white meat, fruit and vegetables to cook with and enjoy a change from fish, rice and beans. Water was plentiful while it lasted and new items procured from town were shown and marveled at by all, it was relaxing and just what every crew needed after long months at sea and going without. Shark was even slapped on the back for his efforts in helping them all to slip away without having to give up any of their treasure, some of them had families to send things home to while others just looked after themselves and saved up for the next trip into a town full of ready and waiting women. Cheers and laughter were the song of the sea tonight, eventually breaking into song before everyone finally went down to their hammocks to sleep it off. Only a couple of the crew stayed above deck, to make sure all was clear sailing during the night.  
  
  
Shark had left a little earlier on, he had the finest voice on the ship and did enjoy to humor the boys with his singing but he tired quickly and was keen to relax in one of the tubs before bedtime. Filling it took a little while and once it was ready, he took off his clothes and slowly got into it, sighing as he leaned back and closed his eyes.  
  
  
“Aahh,” he exhaled loudly, wiggling his toes and grabbing up the soap to wash himself.  
  
  
A lot of the crew were much bigger than himself and they had trouble fitting into the tubs, but they were just the right size for Shark, although he did have to draw up his knees to get his feet into the water but that was alright by him. The woman who he’d run into on the dock had some nice things in her little shopping bag, including some very expensive little soaps and Shark was gratefully using one of them right now. He washed himself luxuriously, for it was never certain when his next bath might be, the weather was unpredictable and so were the situations that could arise out here. He was considered peculiar for his cleanly habits and while he was accustomed to the odors of the other men, they found his washed scent somewhat offensive at times. Perhaps they just didn’t want to admit that he actually smelled very alluring, making them feel something they probably were fearful to admit to themselves or others..  
  
  
Rinsing off the soap with water, shaking his head to try and get it somewhat dry before getting out, Shark set down the sponge and sat back to relax once more. It was most certainly a luxury to be able to take a bath, not all ships provided such a thing and Shark was thankful that this one did. He became aware of another’s presence as the heavy footsteps down the ladder gave them away, he sat up and looked around but it was not anyone to be afraid of.  
  
  
“I thought I might find you down here,” Captain Spider’s deep voice rumbled through the small room.  
  
  
“Captain,” Shark greeted him, nestling back into his tub comfortably, “I’m just about done if you want to get in when I.. “  
  
  
He trailed off as Spider knelt down to press his face close, taking in a deep inhale through his nose.  
  
  
_“Mmm,”_ Spider hummed, putting his arm around Shark’s shoulders, “you smell just like.. a _woman_.. “ 


	5. Harsh Truths

Shark remained silent as Spider continued to take deep sniffs of him, listening to the deep, throaty hums and murmurs of content.  
  
  
“D’ya know what I like best about you?” asked Spider, finally standing up to circle the tub like a vulture.  
  
  
“No,” Shark kept his eyes lowered in subordination.  
  
  
“I like how false you are,” Spider told him.  
  
  
“False?” Shark looked up quickly, “you think I’m false, Captain?”  
  
  
“Don’t take it so negatively,” Spider knelt down and rested his hands upon Shark’s shoulders, squeezing them firmly, “it is a very useful trait.”  
  
  
Shark turned his head hesitantly, but Spider reached down for the sponge and began to wash Shark’s chest.  
  
  
_“Mmm,”_ Shark leaned back and relaxed, enjoying the soft sensation and quickly figuring out where this was going. Spider became further aroused by the gentle hum, venturing to slip the sponge down between Shark’s thighs.  
  
  
“Captain!” Shark tensed up and gasped.  
  
  
“Shhh,” Spider whispered against his neck.  
  
  
_“Huhh.. “_ Shark moaned and closed his eyes, “please.. “  
  
  
Spider continued stroking him carefully with the soft sponge, smiling and showing his teeth in dominance.  
  
  
“Pirates _never_ say please,” Spider grumbled, “you are so insincere, I love it!”  
  
  
Shark groaned again, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling quickly.  
  
  
“You are so fake,” Spider murmured, his lips brushing against Shark’s ear, “I’d not be surprised to discover that your heart was carved from stone!”  
  
  
He stood up, dropped the sponge and shifted away from the tub, Shark glared up at him and set his jaw.  
  
  
“Strip,” Shark told Spider firmly, “now.”  
  
  
Spider smiled like a predator, but did as he was told, slowly. Shark got out of the tub and walked over to him, grabbing his arm and turning him towards the barrels. Spider leaned over one of them, setting his feet apart and relaxing as he felt Shark’s body pressing against his own.  Shark quickly reached around and unbuckled Spider's belt, dropping his pants to his ankles.  
  
  
“You think I’m false?” Shark spoke quietly, positioning himself at once, there was no room for foreplay on a pirate ship and no sense of loyalty nor love among shipmates.  
  
  
“I do,” Spider murmured back, enjoying the feeling of Shark’s soap slickened body and taking several deep breaths to ready himself.  
  
  
“You are the false one,” Shark whispered back, thrusting his erection partway into Spider’s waiting ass, making them both grunt uncomfortably, “you wear the Captain’s clothes and yet here you are, naked and stood over a barrel!”  
  
  
Spider gripped the barrel tightly and put down his head, Shark grasped his hips firmly and began thrusting hard but slow at first, their grunts soon softening into groans as their movements became slicker and less rigid. Heavy breaths and moans filled the little room, Spider reached down to masturbate as Shark picked up speed.  
  
  
_"Huhh, ah!”_ Shark threw back his head, pressing his body hard against Spiders and exploding silently inside of him, his breathless pants soon working the Captain into his own orgasm.  
  
  
“Damn,” Spider gasped, spilling his release all over his boots and down onto the floor, surprising Shark. It took them several long minutes to recompose themselves, Shark slowly dismounted and stood back with a gulp, eyes wide and heart pounding for what he’d just said and done. Spider turned and pulled up his pants, walking towards the ladder.  
  
  
“Captain?” Shark ventured.  
  
  
Spider looked around at him, but said nothing as he left. He didn’t seem angry, so the silence was taken as satisfaction and content. The reality was much different of course, Spider saw Shark as his son and it made him feel disgusted with himself for being attracted to the younger man, but he had to remind himself that this was not the case of Shark's identity. Shark was unfazed by the encounter, so he simply got back into the wooden tub to wash himself off, then he took some time to wash his clothes and hung them to trail at the back of the ship to dry. He went down to the crew’s quarters and took out some clean, fresh clothes from his locker, put them on and finally got into his own hammock to get some sleep. It’d probably be difficult for a regular person to be able to fall asleep, being the only half or sometimes non drunk onboard and surrounded by loud, obnoxious snoring, grunting and scratching but Shark found it comforting, familiar and soothing. He had no trouble falling asleep amidst the various sounds of sleepy moans, belches and the occasional passing of gas. It wasn’t ideal to most, but this was home and these men were his family. Well, sort of. They were the closest thing to a family as he could ever remember having anyway. He yawned and closed his eyes, shifted onto his side and soon drifted off to sleep.


	6. Crocodile Tears

The next morning at breakfast, Shark endured the usual barrage of lame jokes and insults thrown his way during the Captain’s absence and he took it on the chin with nary a word in response. He chose his battles carefully and a little ribbing here and there simply wasn’t worth the effort, he could take it. Spider’s eventual presence soon ensured the attention was deflected from Shark, who then put up with the Captain squeezing his thigh under the table and other discreetly copped feels here and there. This, he did not mind so much but the taunting often got to him more than he cared to let on, or so his tearful expression would suggest later as he gazed over the edge of the ship’s railing and stared out over the water. Being the youngest onboard was never easy, save for the newest Cabin Boy of course, but Shark had had to deal with a lot in his life and he was stronger for it from an early age.  
  
  
“Hey, Shark.. “ a rough voice came from behind him and Claude stood beside him, “what’s so interesting down there? See your momma?”  
  
  
Claude laughed at his cruel joke but Shark just smiled faintly, glancing sideways at the other pirate. He was a thin fellow, with long, scraggly black hair and brown eyes. His teeth were yellowed and one was missing from the back, he spoke English well enough but his accent was French/American.  
  
  
“Do you know why Captain really calls you The Shark?” Claude continued, “have you ever seen the eyes of a shark, hm? They are blacker than black itself, empty.. Like they have no soul.. He calls you this because of your cold-fish heart.. Maybe this is how you ended up on the streets, hm? Nobody likes you, not even your dear momma and papa.. “  
  
  
Claude laughed to himself again and Shark clawed at the wooden railing, lowering his head. When he didn’t get a retaliation from Shark, Claude looked at him and tilted his head as he fell silent.  
  
  
“You never bite back,” Claude frowned, “why is this?”  
  
  
Shark sniffled and kept his head down, Claude softened his expression and sighed heavily.  
  
  
“Perhaps I have went too far,” Claude spoke apologetically, reaching into his pocket and taking out a rare treasure indeed, “I was going to keep this for my beloved back home.. “  
  
  
Shark slowly dared to look at the item and lifted his brows curiously, a block of chocolate? Out here? Claude tore open the top of the delicacy, holding it out towards Shark.  
  
  
“Here,” Claude offered for Shark to take just a piece of the chocolate, “with my apologies, I was only kidding around.”  
  
  
Shark looked up at Claude’s eyes and placed his hand on the block, curling his fingers around it and smiling sadly.  
  
  
“Shark!” Spider bellowed for him from somewhere. Shark whisked the entire chocolate block from Claude’s hand and thanked him repeatedly while backing away and hurrying off to find the Captain. Claude stood there for a moment, until Peter nudged him upon passing by.  
  
  
“Claude! Come on!” Peter urged him to move, “the deck ain’t gonna scrub itself!”  
  
  
He thrust a bucket and a mop into Claude’s outstretched hand and Claude finally blinked, as if he’d been mesmerized somehow.  
  
  
“What’s with you anyway?” Peter asked him.  
  
  
Everyone knew what Shark was like, they were all aware of the sweet façade that hid his true agenda, which was murkier than the depths of the sea itself. So whenever anyone found themselves having fallen for it after all this time, it was shameful to admit to and if the rest of the crew found out, the victim would be the laughing stock of the entire ship. Nobody liked to admit that they’d been had, everyone was fearful of talking to Shark for two reasons: Firstly because of the Captain’s extreme jealousy, secondly because they didn’t want to be drawn in by Shark’s smile or crocodile tears, potentially losing the very shirts off their own backs.  
  
  
“Nothing,” Claude finally responded, taking up the bucket and mop, “I was just thinking of home.”  
  
  
Peter accepted the explanation and they walked off to wash the deck together, the two of them had women lovers to return home to but out here, they only had each other. There were often many months between visits to towns, so having a close relationship with one or two shipmates was essential, unless jacking off was your style of course. Physical intimacy between the men onboard was often fleeting and usually just a quickie for the sheer sake of release and nothing more, not a word spoken between them before, during or afterwards. No eye contact whatsoever.  It was different with Shark, he found both genders equally satisfying but he had yet to actually fall in love with anyone.  
  
  
He wandered over to the ship’s wheel and stood waiting for Spider to command him, but the Captain just wanted Shark to be there where he could see him and keep an eye on him. Spider was a solid man with short, dark brown hair and a trim cut beard with pale green eyes and a muscular frame. He stood tall and proud and held a reputation for being fierce and cutthroat, a merciless shark feeder, although nobody knew it was just his First Mate, wearing a plastic fin and swimming in circles just near the ship so that Spider could extract information from those who didn’t want to be eaten by ‘The Shark’ down below.


	7. Shark, Or Jackal?

Sometimes, being First Mate could get a little boring and it made Shark to be much more inclined to have to make his own fun. He didn’t enjoy being listless or still for such long periods of time, when the Captain was gazing out at the ocean and contemplating his next adventure. Navigating the seven seas was quite a task, he spent quite a lot of his time standing there up by the ship’s wheel and it got very tiresome for the very fidgety Shark. Spider glanced around every so often, just to make sure his First Mate hadn’t wandered off somewhere out of sight and upon seeing him, would go back to doing whatever it was he’d been doing.  
  
  
“Do you have anything for me, Shark?” Spider wondered, his tone slightly distracted.  
  
  
“No Captain,” Shark answered him, “shall I find you something then?”  
  
  
Spider smiled and shook his head, glancing back at him. Shark was sitting up on the railing of the ship, if the ship suddenly lurched or changed direction really fast, he’d be overboard within an instant. He contemplated doing it just for a laugh, he'd done it before..  
  
  
“Come down from there,” Spider scolded him, “and turn out your pockets.”  
  
  
Shark sighed and jumped down, landing lightly on his feet and approaching Spider.  
  
  
“Don’t you trust me, Captain?” Shark wondered, reaching into his pockets.  
  
  
“I’d be a damn fool if I did,” Spider laughed heartily, watching things fall to the deck at Shark’s feet. Gold watches, silver coins, a couple of shiny pebbles, a clutch of necklaces and gold bracelets, two silver earrings and a block of chocolate.  
  
  
“Nothing, huh?” Spider lifted his brow.  
  
  
“I might have forgotten a few things,” Shark offered nothing more than a shrug in response.  
  
  
“Right,” Captain Spider rolled his eyes, “just give me that chocolate, you can keep the rest.”  
  
  
“Aye Captain,” Shark picked up the block and handed it reluctantly over. Spider tore it open just a little and deeply inhaled through his nose, smiling and humming quietly.  
  
  
“Aah the smell of chocolate,” Spider sighed happily, “where’d ya get this anyway?”  
  
  
“It’s mine,” Shark spoke defensively, “I didn’t steal it.”  
  
  
Spider laughed then, it was still a quirk of Shark’s to be so defensive about doing things a pirate ought to be proud of doing. Shark knelt down and gathered up the rest of his things, though Spider could only try to imagine how he’d managed to get his hands upon such treasures. As if to answer that, Shark looked at Spider sadly and he felt a pang of guilt strike into his heart. He was almost tempted to give the chocolate back, along with an apology and perhaps a coin or two to make it up to Shark. However, Spider managed to catch himself before he actually did this and tore his gaze away from the miserable expression of his First Mate. It would seem that even the Captain was not immune to Shark’s sad eyes and hangdog expression, but now that his back was turned, Shark looked around for something else to do - as though completely unfazed. Like he didn’t care..  
  
  
But that’s just how it went, if his tricks didn’t work then he’d not waste time getting angry about it. Until the chocolate had all been eaten, there still remained other opportunities to get some, he just had to keep his wits about him. Some minutes later, Spider looked around and found Shark pretending to hang himself with a rope.  
  
  
“Who does this remind you of?” Shark asked with a grin and Spider laughed amusedly.  
  
  
Some weeks ago, they had boarded a ship laden with rum, bound for the midlands but it never got there. Most of the sailors onboard that ship were slain and tossed overboard, but the Captain was captured and hung from the back of the ship for several days by his neck. Until an actual shark had leapt up out of the water to eat him and that had been the end of their games of who could spit/piss/throw rocks closest to the body, if you hit it, you won a portion of every player’s rations from that night’s dinner.  
  
  
Getting enough to eat wasn’t easy as the weeks went by and the food began to dwindle, Shark was in charge of making sure the ship’s cook didn’t steal any food whilst cooking in the galley and he took this job very seriously. Each night he’d walk in and keep an eye on the cook, helping himself to whatever was there until he was quite full. The cook did not complain, he knew that there was no point in telling anyone because somehow he’d get the blame for it himself. Funnily enough though, Shark would then be seated down to dinner and take whatever he was given. What he did with it then was proof that he was a calculating and cunning pirate underneath that sweet, nice-guy act he put on. Hungry crewmen would eye off Shark’s plate as he rested it upon his lap, sitting in his hammock and pushing the food around his plate idly.  
  
  
“Not hungry?” someone would venture.. and the bidding would begin.


	8. The Resident Bully

Despite the taunting Shark received from his shipmates, many of them actually considered him a friend and more often than not, he would be seen sitting with one or two of them, laughing and joking when there wasn’t a lot else to do. He was a quiet sort of fellow with an easy going grin that just made people seem to want to open up and spill their innermost secrets and desires to him. They shared things with him that they would normally keep strictly to themselves and they would steal a kiss from him if they were so inclined, but only when it was all clear and there was nobody else about to see it. Shark didn’t mind really, affection was affection, one way or the other but he felt nothing towards them deep down.  
  
  
One evening, Shark was hanging over the ship’s railing as if being sick into the ocean but really he was just bored and thinking of going for a swim. He became aware of someone coming to stand beside him, so he stood upon his feet and turned around, leaning back against the railing casually.  
  
  
“Nice night, Franz,” Shark offered a gentle greeting.  
  
  
“I suppose it is,” Franz grumbled, looking irritated.  
  
  
“Alright then?” Shark wondered.  
  
  
“Not particularly,” Franz balled his hands up into fists, “Ollie and his thugs say I stole his last box of matches!”  
  
  
Ollie was the ship's biggest bully, he was the strongest and had two other very strong males always by his side but his worst trait by far was the fact that he raped indiscriminately. He just didn't care but he preferred those who really couldn't defend themselves, he was a lazy bastard.  
  
  
“And did you?” Shark questioned him.  
  
  
“For the last time, no!” Franz raised his voice, causing Shark to avert his gaze and look hurt. Franz patted him on the back, clearing his throat.  
  
  
“I’m sorry,” Franz apologized, “I forgot you weren’t there.”  
  
  
Shark nodded briefly, letting Franz rest his head on his shoulder and hugging him to offer some comfort.  
  
  
“There you are,” Ollie growled, stalking towards Franz and Shark, “time’s up, where are my matches?”  
  
  
“I told you already!” Franz bit back angrily, “I didn’t take them!”  
  
  
Ollie looked at Shark warily, the ship’s First Mate still had his arm slung over Franz’s shoulders.  
  
  
“We didn’t mean to disturb you, Shark,” Ollie apologized gruffly, as his two thugs came up to stand beside him. Shark shifted and stood away from Franz, abandoning him without threat nor reason to move. Nobody sane would lift a finger against Shark or anyone he might be with at any given time, but that didn’t mean he would interfere.  
  
  
“I have to go anyway,” Shark told Franz, “nature calls.”  
  
  
He wandered off, not bothering to look back as the sounds of a vicious fight suddenly broke out. So much for friendship, but there was nothing lost on Shark here, he knew fully well what he was doing.  
  
  
Some time later, Ollie approached the rear of the ship alone, his knuckles bloodied and bruised. Shark liked to hang out back here because it was quiet and allowed him to think and be alone, but it was no secret and everyone knew where to find him if he wasn’t in sight. Shark looked at him briefly, then turned his gaze back up to the moonlit sky. Ollie liked Shark’s cleanly washed skin, it was always so soft and luminous in the light of the moon, he sometimes could not help but stare.  
  
  
“You’re making me very uncomfortable, Ollie,” Shark commented. Ollie blinked and tore his gaze from Shark, looking out over the sparkling water.  
  
  
“I just need to smoke my tobacco,” Ollie complained, as if it were a good excuse for having stared at Shark, “but I haven’t got any matches!”  
  
  
“Oh,” Shark reached into his pocket, “here, you can use one of mine.”  
  
  
Ollie frowned curiously as he accepted the box of matches from Shark’s hand, it looked suspiciously like the box that had gone missing from under his pillow.  
  
  
“Where’d you get these?” Ollie asked him, lighting up and handing the matches back to Shark, “you don’t even smoke.”  
  
  
“I suppose it was traded to me,” Shark gave a gentle shrug, “I honestly couldn’t tell you, I really don’t remember.”  
  
  
Ollie narrowed his eyes and exhaled slowly, Shark had a memory better than anyone he knew but it was not wise to argue with the Captain’s favorite.  
  
  
“Come here,” Ollie grabbed his arm and pulled him up against himself. Shark grimaced at the strong smell of tobacco on Ollie’s breath, as Ollie tried to make out with him and he found it difficult with the reluctant Shark not wanting that taste in his mouth.  
  
  
“Ollie.. “ the Captain’s voice interrupted them and Ollie quickly stepped back from Shark, “what’re you doing back here?”  
  
  
“I was erm, j-just showing Shark here how to smoke a pipe,” Ollie responded quickly.  
  
  
“Well don’t,” Spider warned him gruffly, “he don’t need no rotting lungs and teeth to match like the rest of us.. Get outta here, go on!”  
  
  
“Aye Captain!” Ollie nodded and hurried off to get back down to his hammock.  
  
  
“Captain?” Shark wiped his mouth with his sleeve.  
  
  
“Couldn’t sleep,” Spider leaned on the railing, gazing out over the ocean now.  
  
  
“Bad dreams?” Shark ventured, for Spider often complained to him in private of having them. Spider nodded, sighing heavily.  
  
  
“I could lick melted chocolate from your fingers,” Shark offered, leaning against him affectionately, “could make for sweeter dreams.. “  
  
  
Spider laughed and threw his arm around Shark’s shoulders, kissing the top of his head and breathing in the scent of his recently washed hair.  
  
  
“What would I ever do without you, hm?” Spider wondered amusedly, knowing fully well that Shark didn’t give a damn about his nightmares and was simply looking for an excuse to have some of that chocolate. Shark relaxed and closed his eyes, it was worth a shot, easy come easy go. He could try again another day.


	9. Spoils And Plunders

Later that night, Shark was woken from a deep sleep by some shuffling sounds and short, sharp breathing close to his hammock. Blinking slowly awake, he wondered if perhaps one of the older men might be suffering some kind of attack and he sat up a little to squint in the dimly lit cabin and look around. Most everyone was drunkenly sleeping, snoring and grumbling but two figures were right up against the wall just next to him. It was uncommon to see the act itself being performed down in the Crew’s Quarters, while sex among shipmates was common knowledge, it was never actually admitted to nor witnessed, so to see it being done right there where anyone could just wake up and catch them was a curiosity indeed.  
  
  
Of course, waking up was not something anyone really did unless there was a lot of noise and so far, these two were just doing a lot of heavy breathing and grunting. Shark had heard snores louder than what they were doing, so it stood to reason that the drunken slumberers were not bothered by the noise.  
  
  
“Ollie?” Shark asked sleepily, rubbing one eye.  
  
  
“Go back to, _ohh_.. to sleep, Shark!” Ollie groaned back, he had someone pinned to the wall, but Shark could not quite make them out in the dark. Ollie had became excited by Shark’s reluctance to kiss with him, the womanly scent of expensive soaps and oils didn’t help much either, so this is what he’d had to stoop to in order to relieve himself.  Just grab one of the older males, they couldn’t handle their rum as well and never put up much of a fight.  
  
“I was just dreaming about this beautiful, curvy woman,” Shark got comfortable again and closed his eyes, “she had these nice, big, firm breasts and she let me ravage her.. “  
  
  
Ollie suddenly gasped at the thought and some moments later it was over and there was only the usual sounds left to lull Shark back to sleep once more. Of course, Shark had not stolen the matches from Ollie himself, he did know who traded them to him but such information would have cost Ollie something, whatever he might have to offer in exchange - Shark wasn’t fussy, everything had it’s use. Ollie wasn’t sure if he wanted to part with anything, only to find out he’d got the matches from Franz after all..  
  
  
It was a long time before another ship was finally spotted, Shark was watching some dolphins race the ship when the call of ‘ship ahoy’ was sounded, his gaze lifting to the mast as their flag was changed over to that of the skull and crossbones. Captain Spider ordered for the cannons to be loaded, the sails were full with the wind in their favor and Shark went up to take his place by the Captain’s side at the ship’s wheel.  
  
  
“Is it a Spanish Galleon, Captain?” Shark wondered.  
  
  
“We’ll know more when we get closer,” Spider answered him, rubbing his hands together.  
  
  
It didn’t matter to a pirate what sort of ship it was, there’d always be something of interest to them onboard. Even passenger ships could be robbed, the women raped and the men tied up or thrown overboard, or even recruited if they seemed reliable enough and willing. Food, water, blankets, clothes - anything and everything was taken. They did prefer riches, but useless items could be sold or exchanged for much more valuable things next time they docked.  
  
  
“What’s playing on your mind, Captain?” Shark questioned, “you look on edge.”  
  
  
“Our ship is getting crowded,” Spider answered him.  
  
  
“Are you thinking of a fleet then?” Shark lifted a brow.  
  
  
“I might be,” Spider gruffed, “we need more storage space and half the crew is sharing a hammock by now.”  
  
  
Shark did not argue, but he did wonder who might be appointed Captain of the new ship? And would they eventually turn rogue? These thoughts were clearly on Spider’s mind as well, as he seemed keen but torn as to whether he should take the risk or just head back inland earlier than he’d planned to. The longer they remained out at sea, the less likely people were to be bothered trying to find them after a while, so he tried to stay out for as long as they could survive on whatever they had traded for and the rest would be pillaged from other ships. As for the over crowding, he could just inspect the crew and leave the oldest and weakest members behind when they next docked into the port of another town. Things could be righted without obtaining a second ship, but was his ego too big to just sink it when they’d finished robbing it?  
  
  
As they drew nearer to the other ship, it was anyone’s guess as to what might happen next..  



	10. Maiden Voyager

The other ship was not a Spanish Galleon laden with treasures, as Shark had hoped. It was a passenger vessel, the best the pirates could hope for was that rich people were onboard. As no pirate ships had been reported this far out recently, there was very little resistance to be dealt with after they finally caught up to the vessel. The pirates were ruthless, Spider remained onboard his own ship along with a select few while everyone else began to subdue the crew and load up the hold (and stuff their pockets) with whatever they could find. Shark was only allowed to wander on over once the situation was given the all clear, Spider would not risk him an injury if he could avoid it. Shark enjoyed nosing around the ship, ignoring the shouts from the now restrained crew and poking around in the below decks. He picked up a stray drumstick of chicken, amazed to see such a thing out here. Most of the fine foods had been scoffed down by the pirates already, they must have missed this one small piece and Shark would not simply leave it be.

  
  
Chewing on the slightly salty morsel, Shark wandered into another back room. He had to really throw himself against the door because something was behind it, he looked around in the dimly lit cabin but saw nothing of interest except a large, wooden barrel. Rum, perhaps? Or gunpowder?  
  
  
He tossed away his chicken bone and approached the barrel, looking it over curiously but there were no markings to suggest what might be inside. Upon further inspection, the lid was slightly off kilter, suggesting it’d already been emptied, but he pulled it off anyway and stumbled back as a woman suddenly stood up. She looked frightened but determined, without a weapon and yet making fists with her hands anyway to try to fend him off but Shark wasn’t attacking her and she slowly calmed down.  
  
  
“A-Are you a pirate?” she stammered.  
  
  
“Yes,” Shark replied shortly, it was starting to bother him that it was even questionable after all this time.  
  
  
“You don’t look like one,” she said to him, checking him over with her frightened gaze.  
  
  
“I get that a lot,” Shark lowered his head and scuffed his boot on the floor.  
  
  
“Are you going to hurt me?” the woman wondered.  
  
  
“I don’t know,” Shark gave a shrug, looking at her again, “suppose I’ll just turn you over to the rest of the crew.”  
  
  
“Oh no, please no!” the woman pleaded with him, “they’ve already raped the others, I couldn’t take it, please.. Please have mercy!”  
  
  
Shark pursed his lips, glancing over his shoulder but nobody had bothered to come down here yet.  
  
  
“Have you got anything for me?” Shark asked her, “jewelry? Coins?”  
  
  
“I’m afraid not,” the woman spoke quietly, her voice shaking, “everything’s been taken.”  
  
  
Shark sighed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully and looking her over as he helped her to get out of the barrel when she made the attempt to do it herself.  
  
  
“What are your knickers made from?” he asked, “silk?”  
  
  
“What? No.. “ she replied, backing away but he didn’t let go of her arm and she could not go far.  
  
  
“You’ve got nothing, love,” Shark warned her.  
  
  
“Please, I don’t want to drown.. “ her eyes filled with tears.  
  
  
“Don’t give me that look,” Shark frowned at her, “I invented that look, stop it!”  
  
  
She averted her gaze, keeping it downcast and he reached out, tugging at her clothing and tearing it a little to expose part of her cleavage.  
  
  
“Mmm, nice.. “ Shark approved, “you have very ample breasts.. “  
  
  
“Please,” the woman was trembling now, “don’t.. “  
  
  
Shark hauled her roughly towards him, she stumbled and cried out but softly.  
  
  
“It’s either me, or them,” Shark told her, “I won’t toss you overboard, but they will. After they’ve all had you.. “  
  
  
She looked at him again, weighing her options and deciding that he wasn’t so bad looking as the others were and she slowly nodded in defeat.  
  
  
“But you must bring me onboard your ship and hide me somewhere,” she bargained, “I can’t sail this ship alone and.. and you could ravage me every night if you wanted to.”  
  
  
Shark knew she was just trying to survive, but the offer was alluring, tempting him to forget the superstition of having a woman onboard a pirate ship being bad luck. What evidence was there to support this anyway?  
  
  
“Alright,” he finally relented, “get back into the barrel, I’ll have someone bring it aboard. Keep quiet and I’ll come see you tonight. They call me Shark, by the way. What’s your name, darling?”  
  
  
She blushed as he helped her back into the barrel, relieved to have the chance at surviving a pirate attack but angry at herself for agreeing to let him have her anytime he wanted. What other choice did she have? He was going to turn her over to the other pirates, at least if it was just him, she might actually see the light of another day.  
  
  
“Marie,” she answered him, crouching down and closing her eyes as she was plunged into the cramped darkness of the barrel once more.


	11. The Sweetest Smile

Spider stood watching over the movements of his crew, taking note of the hold getting crowded and almost bursting with loot by now. He hadn’t managed to offload everything during the two day docking in town, now he’d be forced to come ashore again or else the next treasure they stole might end up being dumped overboard. He decided against taking on another ship just now, at least not this one anyway, the upgrades would be far too costly and it’d take way too much time to have it all done. No, if he was going to take over a second ship, it had to be battle worthy and strong. Shark stepped out onto the deck, Ollie was just zipping up his pants and there was a sobbing naked woman at his feet.   
  
  
“Ollie,” Shark called to him, “would you move this barrel for me, please?”  
  
  
Ollie rolled his eyes and sighed with irritation, always with the manners, it just annoyed him so much!  
  
  
“What’s in it?” Ollie called back, approaching Shark but not wanting to help him out for nothing.  
  
  
“It’s mine, I found it all on my own,” Shark responded with a defensive attitude.  
  
  
“Then move it all on your own!” Ollie snapped back at him, laughing to himself and lifting his chin in a show of superior strength. Shark ground his teeth and pouted angrily, but he didn’t snark back and instead, just looked out at the ocean. Ollie tried not to see the sadness in Shark’s expression, he was clearly upset with the refusal but didn’t want a confrontation. Finally, Ollie felt bad for what he’d said and moved towards him again.  
  
  
“Alright fine,” Ollie grumbled, “I’ll move your damned barrel, but you owe me after this!”  
  
  
“Oh, thank you so much Ollie!” Shark beamed happily, “just drop it off in the pump room.”  
  
  
Ollie hesitated and looked back around at Shark, who was walking away.  
  
  
“Hey, wait a minute!” Ollie called to him, “aren’t you going to help me?”  
  
  
“No,” Shark replied with a smile, “you’re such a strong and fit man, Ollie. You wouldn’t like to be seen getting help from me, I couldn’t break an egg.. “  
  
  
Ollie narrowed his eyes, Shark certainly may look unassuming and fragile but he sure packed a punch if cornered, he’d found that out the hard way himself..  
  
  
Shark winked at him, turned and headed towards the ropes, so Ollie swore under his breath and went down below deck to collect his precious barrel. Shark paused as something gripped his ankle, looking down to see the naked woman trying to get his attention. She had heard him speak politely and aimed to appeal to his softer nature, the trouble being that Shark simply didn’t have one.  
  
  
“Please,” she sobbed desperately, “h-help me?”  
  
  
Shark knelt down and touched her dirty, tear stained cheek. Spider looked over and saw Shark leaning down to kiss a woman who lay bare on the deck and he shouted out to his First Mate, jealousy in his tone. Shark withdrew instantly, his lips barely meeting those of the woman's, who had tried to flirt with him in order to gain his sympathy and perhaps protection. She screamed profanities at him as he adhered only to his master’s call and left her to be thrown overboard, taking his place with his head lowered right by the Captain’s side.  
  
  
“What were you doing over there?” Spider demanded.  
  
  
“Ollie has my barrel, Captain,” Shark replied quickly, “I think he means to take it for himself.”  
  
  
Spider looked at him, which was the worst thing you could do when Shark was trying to get something from you, those big, sad blue eyes got you every damned time and he knew it.  
  
  
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t,” Spider grumbled begrudgingly, as he didn’t like to tell the crew what loot belonged to which pirate. It caused unrest and sparked rumors of favoritism, which led to bullying and singling out but Shark could take care of himself in that respect and everyone already knew that the First Mate was allowed privileges that the others weren’t anyway.  
  
  
“Move it with that barrel, Ollie!” Spider bellowed.  
  
  
Ollie had just paused to take a peek into the barrel, when the Captain’s shouting startled him and he hurried to get it onboard and down to the pump room as Shark had requested. The call for all hands on deck was given and Ollie had to leave the mysterious barrel behind, it was time to sink the other ship and head to the nearest port. Spider looked around at Shark again, he was sitting down against the back railing of the ship. Spider gave the orders, the cannons were fired and the passenger ship was sunk. Then he made a sharp turn and Shark laughed amusedly as he slid along the deck and softly bumped into the other railing, at least he hadn’t been sitting up on them and fallen down into the water below. Spider smiled and shook his head, the childish behavior further endearing the young pirate to his battle hardened heart.


	12. The Great White

Spider was doing his best to ensure that the town they docked into next, was as far away from the last one as possible. The hold was nearing its capacity, he really needed to offload it and as much as possible. Most of the pirates had somewhere safe to store their treasures, trusting either loved ones back home by mailing it to them or a frequently visited island whereupon they had it buried somewhere or stored in a cave. But they hadn’t had the chance to stow anything away lately and coins were far easier to carry around than any bulky lot of loot they’d managed to pilfer.   
  
  
Just after their dinner that night, Shark took his usual bath but this time, he was left alone to just get on with it. After that, he was keen to visit Marie and he hadn’t forgotten that she might be hungry, so he brought a part of his dinner down to the pump room for her to eat. When she heard the footsteps approaching, Marie closed her eyes and hoped it was Shark and not one of the other pirates onboard the ship.  
  
  
“Marie?” his voice came from just outside of the barrel. She carefully slid the lid away and meekly accepted his help to get out of it, squeaking when he pulled her up against his body.  
  
  
“As per our agreement,” he grinned at her, eyes bright with lust.  
  
  
“Wait, please!” Marie pleaded with him, “I’m so weak with hunger!”  
  
  
“All the better,” Shark hitched up her dress, “you won’t struggle so much then. Come on, off with your bloomers, missy!”  
  
  
“Shark, Shark please!” Marie wriggled and squirmed, making it difficult for him to get through her dress and petticoat.  
  
  
“You wear too many clothes,” Shark grumbled, “hold still!”  
  
  
Marie twisted away from him and stumbled towards the wall.  
  
  
“Shark, I-I’ve got my woman’s thing!” Marie warned him, but she was lying.  
  
  
“What’s that?” Shark wondered, approaching her quickly to pin her against the wall, “you smell so lovely.. “  
  
  
“I’m bleeding down there,” Marie told him. Shark stood back, letting her dress back down.  
  
  
“Oh you mean that?” Shark hesitated, then he shrugged, “no matter, I can always take another bath. Now, get those bloomers off.”  
  
  
“Please let me eat first,” Marie begged him, “where am I going?”  
  
  
He stood back again, this was true, there wasn’t anywhere she’d be able to escape to. Marie crept over to the food he’d brought down with him and hungrily ate her fill, gulping down the small bit of rum he’d left for her when she was done. Shark just waited patiently, sniffing as he wiped his nose on his sleeve. Marie took out a small, white cloth and handed it to him.  
  
  
“Here,” she offered, “you can keep it.”  
  
  
Shark accepted the cloth and nodded to her in thanks.  
  
  
“Thank you,” he smiled and tucked it away into his pocket.  
  
  
“You’re not like any pirate I’ve heard tales of,” Marie told him, “at least, not entirely anyway.”  
  
  
“How do you mean?” Shark asked her.  
  
  
“Well, pirates aren’t reputed to have manners,” Marie replied, “or baths.. “  
  
  
Shark rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged, he really didn’t know what to tell her.  
  
  
“Have you finished then?” he asked, impatient by now. Marie nodded with a sigh, giving up the attempt to resist as he approached her once again, well.. At least she knew he was clean..  Shark was careful not to rip her clothing, she would need it to keep warm overnight and he thought to perhaps bring her a blanket next time he visited. He unbuttoned her dress, untied the lace and let the garments drop to the floor. With face flushed red and eyes averted, Marie stepped out of the discarded attire and hugged herself nervously.  
  
  
“What are you so scared of?” Shark asked her, taking off his shirt and boots.  
  
  
“You, of course!” Marie just about scolded him, “you’re going to rape me, doesn’t that ring any bells with you?”  
  
  
Shark just smiled at her and shrugged, stripping down to the nude.  
  
  
“You did offer,” he reminded her again, “so it’s not really rape, is it?”  
  
  
Marie was too intently staring at his well endowed loins, her heart suddenly thumping harder still.  
  
  
“Uhm, Shark?” She spoke with trembling voice as he stroked his monster length nice and hard.  
  
  
“What’s wrong?” He wondered, his eyes rolled in self pleasure and he hummed softly.  
  
  
“Shark, I’ve not known a man of your, erm.. Size,” Marie stated worriedly, “you might hurt me.”  
  
  
Shark had heard this before, he took pride in the compliment but he’d never hurt anyone with his cock before, so he took little heed to her complaint.  
  
  
“You may have a little trouble walking love,” he spoke softly, approaching her now as intent set within his eyes and jaw, “but I promise you your screams won’t be for the pain.. “

 


	13. Fool Me Please

Marie pressed herself into the wall as he stepped right up into her personal space, waiting for him to throw her down onto the floor or bend her over the barrel. Shark’s fingertips came to rest on her hips, tracing intricate, invisible patterns upon her pale skin. He mouthed at her chin, his warm breath trembling with anticipation, his cock hard and pressing into her thigh. She whimpered, it felt fleshy and hard. Shark smiled against her cheek, flicking out his tongue to lick her face, leaving it wet. He was very excited and she felt less tense the more he touched her in his gentle way, it was unlike anything she’d been expecting from him at all.   
  
  
Shark was a charmer, he’d learned very quickly simply by observing that he could get anyone to do anything he desired of them, all he had to do was be kind. In his heart, he was ruthless and fearsome, but that wouldn’t get him anywhere near a lot of people in the way he’d like. You don’t trap someone with bait of poison, it had to be something they liked in order to lure them in, draw them close enough to strike. They had to believe wholeheartedly that you loved them, understood them and cared about their feelings, once you had them completely smitten with you, the knife was just there and waiting, ready to slice their throat once you grew bored with them.  
  
  
Nobody was going to fall for an outright pirate, he had to play it savvy. It’s a good thing people were so jaded by their lives that the mere thought of someone actually being kind to them was slathered upon, victims without realizing it, they’d follow a ‘nice person’ anywhere until it was too late. It was very easy to fool those who wanted to be fooled and Shark had not a single regret for taking advantage of it, so long as his pockets were lined with gold and he had whatever he needed to survive and be comfortable. He used and was in turn used by others, it was all he’d ever known and so it was unlikely he’d ever change.  
  
  
His kisses ran up over neck, then down to the collarbone and up along the front of her throat. Marie parted her lips as his mouth closed over them, coaxing his lips to open and her tongue was quickly met with his own. She moaned as his hands came up to fondle and squeeze her breasts, he kneaded them and massaged them before breaking away from her lips and kneeling before her. She lowered herself down somewhat and he gazed up into her eyes, as she ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his face closer, her other hand lifting her breast and teasing the nipple at his closed lips. Shark obediently opened his mouth and she shoved it full of her breast, he moaned and continued gazing up at her as he was forced to suckle at her breast.  
  
  
She sighed and her heart fluttered at the sight of him, his eyes closed and he leaned forwards into her, jaw as wide as he could make it go, taking in as much breast as he could. His fingers spread out as his hands trailed over her buttocks, parting her cheeks close to her entrance and slipping his slender digits in among her folds to slick and prod. Marie rocked her hips against his fingers, coating them with her arousal and leaving them quite wet. Shark felt submissive suckling on her breast, he hummed against the fleshy mound but there wasn’t anything rewarding about it, so he abandoned it pretty quickly and sought to kiss her inner thighs. She covered her mouth to stifle a squeal as he hoisted her up against the wall, her feet off the ground, knees over his shoulders as his face buried into her, licking and nuzzling her heat. His tongue probed and swirled around her clit, fingers shoving in and out, dripping her moisture onto the floor as they squelched into her relaxing entrance, she bucked into her first orgasm and he took no further time.  
  
  
Shark thrust her down onto the floor as she writhed and moaned, calling to him with hands clamped over her mouth for fear of waking the others. He hooked one of her legs around his waist and plunged his cock into her quickly, stealing her breath away as she hadn’t been expecting it so suddenly. As he inched himself deeper and deeper into her, he moaned and enjoyed how snug the fit was, she clamped and squeezed around his length, as if her body was trying to reject him but he continued to thrust himself relentlessly into her until they were both feverishly meeting one another’s hips with wild abandon. Marie was howling by this time and Shark smothered her lips with his mouth, swallowing her mewls and outcries, stifling his own groans and calls. Marie breathed heavily and threw back her head, he bit at her neck as she screamed into her second orgasm, his hand groping blindly to cover her mouth and she bit down onto his finger.  
  
  
Shark rolled his eyes closed, the pain jolting through his hand, he bit back a howl of protest and growled against her flesh, bucking a few more times before he finally pulled out and straddled her chest, stroking himself twice before he grunted and spurted his thick, white release all over her neck, her soft mounds, her lips and her chin. Marie gazed up at him with smitten, soft eyes half closed while Shark just threw back his head, moaned and looked back down to admire his artwork. Breathless, they both remained there for some moments, panting, their chests heaving. Eventually, Shark moved away from her and stood slowly to his feet, his legs shaking somewhat.  
  
  
“Tomorrow night,” he promised to return, “don’t get caught love, I’ll **not** try to save you.”  
  
  
He looked her over once more, she felt her face grow hot with humiliation and then he got dressed and walked out. Marie looked around at the room, she wasn’t sure she could take a few days in this cramped, confined space, let alone several weeks or months. She felt unclean, but how could she fix that down here? Shark had told her just now not to get caught, but who would even come down here? Then she grew pale as she realized what he meant, she was to venture around on her own to take care of herself, while everyone was asleep. She shivered, but what other choice did she have?


	14. Regrets

Marie gathered up her clothes and stole over to the door, her legs were weak and felt rubbery but she had no other choice, she needed to get clean. Thankful that she had eaten and thus wouldn’t need to go looking for food and risk getting caught that much more, Marie opened the door and carefully peered out to listen and watch for any signs of life.  
  
  
Nothing.  
  
  
Quickly, she darted out and crept along the ship but she had no idea where she was supposed to be going. Trying to keep a mental map in her head of which way she’d come, Marie tried a few doors until she finally found what one might consider a sort of washroom. She went in and quietly closed the door behind her, looking around she saw some water and a few cloths. She used them to wash herself, just dipping the cloth into the water as she didn’t yet feel brave enough to actually get in and take a full on bath. Once she was done, she carefully dabbed her body dry and put on her clothes with a long exhale. Ship life was certainly not for a woman, she decided, it was far too disgusting. Growing a little bolder, she began to poke around the little wash room and opened some cupboards, finding a few things stashed here and there. She discovered some perfume, scented soaps and the like.  
  
  
“Shark,” she commented, smiling bitterly to herself, he probably had stolen them from other unsuspecting women in the past.  
  
  
Deciding not to take anything and risk a dagger in her throat, Marie closed the cupboard and got to her feet once more, keen to get back to the safe confines of her little room. She opened the door, peering out as she did so and stepping out when she felt it was all clear. It’d seem that nobody really ventured down to the lower decks at night, so she felt a little calmer as she made her way back to the room where Shark had told her to stay put. Once there, she leaned against the door and sighed with relief.  
  
  
She didn’t know how much longer she could keep doing this, the stress was quite high and she was nervous to be raped each night by a pirate, what if she were to bear his child? Would he take care of her or feed her to some actual sharks? What kind of a life was there for a baby on a pirate ship? Heaven forbid she should ask for extra food while it was growing inside of her and she dreaded it to be either gender. As a male would be undoubtedly dragged into a life of piracy and a female, well, she dreaded to imagine what a bunch of merciless pirates would do to a young girl. Then she had to wonder, as she lay down and tried to get to sleep, would they even let her give birth to it? The creaking and groaning of the ship kept Marie awake for a long time, the waves crashing against the sides didn’t help much either but after a while she did eventually fall into a somewhat fitful slumber, if only for a few hours before the sunrise saw the pirates up and about.  
  
  
Their shouts and laughter soon had her startling awake once more, rubbing her tired eyes and blinking rapidly as she yawned and tried to doze off again. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide as she heard boots stomping towards her door. She held her breath as she looked at the door, a shadow moved along the bottom of it and stopped right outside it. Marie started to tremble, she knew the rules about women (and stowaways for that matter) being found on a pirate ship and she really didn’t feel up to the task of trying to swim in the ocean with the many layers of clothing she wore. Thankfully though, the shadow moved on, after the sound of scratching and a belch met with her ears. Marie finally exhaled the breath she had been holding and slumped down onto her makeshift bed, closing her eyes and somehow, she managed to drift off once more.  
  
  
Up at the ship’s wheel, Captain Spider and Shark were overseeing the crew as they went about their morning routine.  
  
  
“Where were you last night?” asked Spider.  
  
  
“I was in my hammock, Captain,” Shark answered him casually, “sleeping.”  
  
  
Spider kept looking around, as if he weren’t speaking to anyone but himself and Shark did the same.  
  
  
“You always come into my Quarters,” Spider pointed out.  
  
  
“Not always,” Shark corrected him, “besides, I was exhausted.”  
  
  
“From what?” Spider demanded suspiciously, “are you fucking someone else?!”  
  
  
Shark opened his mouth to answer, when the cry of ‘Land Ho’ rang out from the Crow’s Nest.  
  
  
“At last,” Spider grumbled, then he called up to the lookout, “where are we?”  
  
  
“I don’t know, Captain!” came the reply, “looks deserted.”  
  
  
“Hmm,” Spider ran his fingers through his hair, “we’ll take a look anyway. Might be some fruits or fresh water, prepare to scout the island!”  
  
  
Shark looked down as the crew began to prepare to drop anchor close to the island.  
  
  
“Captain, what if there are Savages?” Shark wondered.  
  
  
“Well,” Spider put his arm around Shark’s shoulders and pulled him close, “we shall rape their women, kill their men and enjoy a feast with whatever we find in their huts!”  
  
  
“And then we burn their huts, right?” Shark gazed up at his Captain, “with their offspring still cowering inside?”  
  
  
Spider looked back down at Shark, those eyes of his even made the Captain shiver sometimes. They were bright and full of mischief, but they were also cold and void of emotion.  
  
  
“You’re a terrifying man sometimes, Shark,” Spider ruffled his hair and found it amusing when Shark predictably got upset, pulling away to fix his hair back to the way he liked it. Spider’s booming laughter reached even Marie’s ears down below deck, she slowly woke up and wondered what was going on up there.  
  
  
“Oh what am I supposed to do to stave off boredom?” she wailed to herself, “this is no way to travel. No way to travel at all!!”   
  
  
*  
  
  
“What is the matter, Shark?” Spider asked his First Mate.  
  
  
“Let’s just say,” Shark answered, smoothing back his golden mane, “I really, really don’t like children, Captain.”  
  
  
He wandered off towards the stern of the ship to see the island and Spider watched him silently, all mirth gone from his expression as he began to second guess his decision to rescue that little waif from town, all those years ago..


	15. Murky Depths

Despite the Captain’s dubious regrets, Shark was still the First Mate and as such, he was a critical part of the crew. His apathetic nature would ensure things got done, even when nobody else would touch it. Behind every ruthless pirate still beat the heart of a human being, but it seemed that Shark had missed this memo completely. Being the cleanest and by far the nicest looking crew member on board the ship, Shark had his fair share of ‘admirers’ who would try to sate their lust for sexual intimacy by attempting to have sex with him or make him suck them off. Shark had to learn in his early teenage years how to brawl and fend off those who were much bigger and stronger than himself, because Spider wasn’t always around to save him every moment of the night or day. Survival had been his main focus since he was four, this was simply another threat to his comfort that needed to be rectified. Sticking close to Spider certainly helped, but he was more often jumped from behind or pulled aside by surprise whenever Spider was not in sight. After the first few times he’d taken it, left to nurse his bloodied and raw asshole, Shark started to fight back with a lot more tact and used the other’s strength and weight against them. He was soon topping any who tried to fuck him, turning them right around and giving it to them without mercy.  
  
  
As he stood looking at the island, the rest of the crew were making preparations to go there and explore.  
  
  
“What was in that barrel?” Ollie’s voice came from behind Shark.  
  
  
Shark glanced around as Ollie stood by him now, staring out at the island with trepidation.  
  
  
“Fish, I suppose,” Shark gave a gentle shrug of his shoulders, “smelled that way.”  
  
  
“Ugh, fish,” Ollie sighed, “why’d you bother? I swear if we don’t get something else to eat soon, I’ll take a bite out of you.”  
  
  
He leaned in and pressed his face into Shark’s neck, leaning his chin on Shark’s shoulder.  
  
  
“Mmm, you smell so good,” Ollie growled.  
  
  
“Don’t you have orders to follow?” Shark pushed at him, but there wasn’t a lot of effort put into it.  
  
  
Ollie stayed where he was, he wanted Shark and someday, he vowed to have him.  
  
  
“Ollie!” Captain Spider shouted, “get back to work!”  
  
  
Ollie grumbled and moved away from Shark, who exhaled long and slow. His eyes glittered with the sparkling ocean as it reflected the sun’s light, Springtime was always his favourite time of the year and the island had lots of lovely yellow flowers dotting the hillside off in the distance. Shark always had favoured this colour, he wasn’t sure why but he had a feeling it was due to the childish thought of gold being coloured yellow that had always stuck with him.  
  
  
Two of the small boats were sent to shore with their Away Parties on board, Spider remained on the ship with Shark and a couple of others who stayed behind in case of a sneak attack by another ship. Spider walked over to where Shark was standing, trying to follow his gaze but not quite sure what was so fascinating out there.  
  
  
“Shark,” Spider’s voice was soft, “why d’you hate children so?”  
  
  
He watched as Shark’s calm expression turned hard and devoid of any positive emotion.  
  
  
“Before you found me,” Shark responded quietly, watching the boats being dragged onto the sand, “I had to survive on my own. Every morning the children of the town would walk by me on their way to school and throw rocks at me. They would often taunt and jeer at me, threaten me with sticks. In the afternoon it was worse, they would kick me and punch me or pull my hair until I cried and begged them to stop.”  
  
  
Spider pursed his lips, turning his eyes away from Shark.  
  
  
“I had no idea,” Spider murmured, “Shark, not all children are so cruel as that.”  
  
  
Shark gave a faint smile.  
  
  
“Oh, but they are you see,” Shark reassured Spider, “given the chance, they are. Every last one.”  
  
  
Spider fell silent after that, how anyone could pick on a small, four year old child was beyond even him. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what harsh realities Shark had had to face at such a tender age, the struggle to survive shouldn’t ever be placed upon the shoulders of someone so young and impressionable. Looking at Shark now, Spider sincerely doubted the damage could ever be undone.  
  
  
“For what it may be worth,” Spider squeezed Shark’s shoulder, “I’m sorry, son.”  
  
  
He then turned and walked back to the ship’s wheel, leaving Shark to stare out at the island with barely any reaction at all.  
  
  
Shark was silent for a long time, then he slowly began to frown and gave a sigh.  
  
  
“I’m **not** your son,” he spoke firmly, an icy undertone in his voice that suggested he was a lot more angry than his calm expression would let on, “I belong to **no one** .”  
  
  
*  
  
  
The men who were on the island were sending back things they had found via the boats, fruit being the bulk of what they had discovered, bottles of water (as much as they could fill) and any wild game they managed to track down and kill were first cooked over a fire before the meat was sent back and brought into the ship’s galley. Deeming it safe enough, the rest of the crew were taken to the island and they all took a break to explore as they saw fit. Shark and Spider stayed close to the fire because it was slowly getting dark and there was a wild boar on the spit over the fire. Pulling at the meat and devouring it, the pirates were well fed and in good humour this evening.  
  
  
“Best roast I ever had,” commented Claude.  
  
  
“It is,” Shark nodded, “we named this one Ollie.”  
  
Rowdy laughter rose up to shatter the stillness of the night around them, Ollie poked at the snout of the boar and frowned.  
  
  
“It don’t look nothing like me,” Ollie grumbled, eliciting more laughter from the crew.  
  
  
“Ollie, the other end,” Shark mused and Ollie went to the other end, his face burning red as the crew were almost in stitches by this time.  
  
  
“Are you calling me a pig’s arse?” Ollie accused Shark.  
  
  
“So what if I am?” Shark wondered, “you couldn’t possibly have a _beef_ with me then.”  
  
  
Ollie covered his face with his palm, Shark had a thing for puns and any chance he got to use them, he would.  
  
  
“What’s wrong Shark?” Ollie spat, “missing your momma?”  
  
  
Shark looked at him and the crew fell silent, Ollie regretted it at once and took a few steps back when Shark got up and approached him. Spider didn’t usually interfere when this sort of thing happened, he generally only would step in if Shark looked like he was getting his butt kicked.  
  
  
“I’m tired of you saying that,” Shark grabbed Ollie and thrust him towards the fire.  
  
  
Ollie struggled to get away, but within seconds he found his face firmly planted between the boar’s ass cheeks, his lips close to it’s hole. His muffled screams from the searing flesh burning his face were heard by all but nobody moved to help him. One of the drawbacks from being a bully, nobody was going to save you when you got what was coming to you. Shark held Ollie there for a long time, until his frantic movements became sluggish and his shrieks became sobs. Finally, Shark pulled Ollie’s head out of the pig’s arse and threw him to the ground. He knelt down and leaned over Ollie, who looked very badly sunburned indeed.  
  
  
“You will not mention my mother again, is that clear?” Shark spoke in a hushed tone.  
  
  
Ollie nodded quickly, trying not to cry because it only stung his burnt flesh. Nobody tried to stop Shark at all, even Spider watched silently and worried for his own safety. Shark was getting stronger, more confident and less patient with his fellow crew members. He knew that someday, it’d only be a matter of time before Shark set his eyes upon the Captain’s position. Spider wasn’t ready to give up his ship or his crew just yet, but if he had to lose to anyone, he would be honoured to lose to Shark. Shark stood up and stepped back as Ollie slowly pulled himself up onto his feet, keeping his gaze lowered in shame.  
  
  
“Ollie,” Shark spoke once more.  
  
  
Ollie slowly looked up at him, his body shaking from the pain and the shock of it all.  
  
  
“Tell me,” Shark grabbed him by the throat and squeezed, “who’s your **daddy** ?”  
  
  
An uproar of laughter suddenly exploded all around, if it wasn’t already red, Ollie would have been seen to blush with further humiliation. Shark squeezed harder and shook Ollie, demanding a response.  
  
  
“Y-You are!” Ollie stammered.  
  
  
Shark spun him around and bent him over, striking a pose with Ollie to embarrass him beyond belief.  
  
  
“Don’t you ever forget it,” Shark thrust once against Ollie’s rear, then pushed him face first into the sand and stalked off into the dense thicket.  
  
  
“Shall we go after him, Captain?” Claude wondered.  
  
  
“Leave him,” Spider shook his head, trying to ignore Ollie’s screams as the sand scratched his raw skin, “he’ll come back when he’s ready.”  
  
  
But as he watched the darkened line of trees where Shark had vanished into, he became less and less certain of that.


	16. Every Man For Himself

The moonlight was more than enough to light his way for the most part, Shark picked his way through the trees until the undergrowth became too dense and he had to resort to using his cutlass to clear a path. It got steadily darker the deeper he ventured inland, so he was careful about keeping his guard up. Shark didn’t want to run into anything that might consider him a snack, though at some point he did mistakenly lop off the head of a giant python when he thought it was merely a vine in his way. Shark paused to watch the reptile thrash and writhe, it seemed like it’d be such a waste of material and flesh. Looking back to the way he had come, Shark knew it wouldn’t do to stay out here too long anyway. He sighed and knelt down, hoisted the python onto his shoulders and struggled as he dragged the carcass back towards the beach.

 

It was quite noisy at the camp fire, though most of it was laughter and sea shanties being sung, Shark was undetected as he formulated an amusing plan in his mind.

 

Ollie was laying not too far away, his head wrapped in seaweed to help with the burns on his head and face. He was in a sorry state, as the salt rubbed into his raw flesh and made him whimper. Either nobody heard him, or they just didn’t care and it was quite likely that he might even be left behind, abandoned to his fate. There was no room a pirate ship for someone who couldn’t pull their weight, everyone had a job to do and only the fittest would survive in any case. Ollie’s future looked grim and he knew it well, he was fearful as he lay there in the shadows by the tree line, he didn’t want to be left stranded and alone on this island. Suddenly, he was set upon by a large, scaly beast and he screamed in terror. He couldn’t understand what all the laughter was about as he struggled to keep from being squeezed to death by the python’s coils, it took him far too long to figure out it was dead and he sat there panting to catch his breath. Shark dragged the python away from Ollie and over towards the others, the skin would fetch them some gold and the flesh would be a welcome treat for all.

 

Spider gave Shark his space as he watched the pirate slink back off towards the trees, but Shark didn’t vanish into them this time and instead sat down to watch the festivities.

 

Sometime after midnight, everyone had fallen asleep and were so full and drunk that they’d not awaken until well after sunrise the next morning. Only now did Shark arise from his position and wander about the remains of the party, picking at the leftovers and assembling them onto a plate that he then took in to serve to Marie. She was too hungry to have been asleep, able to smell the aromas of food coming in from the shore and it did take Shark a little while to row back to the ship on his own.

 

“It’s about time,” Marie grumbled, “I’ve been starving all night.”

 

She made a grab for the plate and Shark held it just out of her reach, pushing her firmly back with his free hand.

 

“That’s hardly gratitude,” Shark scolded her, “I should eat this myself.”

 

“Likely your belly’s already full enough,” Marie bit back, eyeing the plate and licking her lips.

 

“I could stand to eat some more,” Shark threatened. Marie considered to call his bluff, would he eat all that by himself? _Could he?_

 

At her silence, Shark sat down and began to help himself to the meal without another thought to her hunger. Marie watched him in disbelief, Shark ate with large bites and what seemed to be quite painful gulps, as if it might be stolen right out of his mouth if he didn’t swallow it fast enough. She shook her head and just stared, perhaps this is really how Shark had gotten his name..? Marie soon snapped out of her near trance and settled down beside Shark, putting her hand on the plate and pulling at it gently.

 

Shark paused, mouth overstuffed with food and she almost expected to hear him growl like a savage dog. But he didn’t, he let go of the plate and she thanked him quietly at long last, moving back over to the corner to enjoy her meal, for who knew when the next one would ever arrive?

 

Shark watched her as he finished his last mouthful, licking his fingers and sucking them clean.

 

“There will be fruit for some days,” he told her, standing up and walking back to the door, “I’ll try to bring you some. Be sure to have your manners handy.”

 

Marie looked over at him and Shark left, he had to get back to the island before he was missed.

 

Shark made it back to the beach and walked over to the still slumbering pirates, he yawned and rubbed one eye as the sounds of snoring and belching reached his ears. Such familiar sounds of the night made him feel tired and easily helped him to get to sleep, so he settled down near the waning flames of the fire and rested his head upon Spider’s chest. The beating of his heart and the sounds of flatulence from a few others soon had Shark fast asleep, only blinking awake the next day to sounds of shouts and orders. He sat up and squinted, watching everyone loading the food and water up onto the ship.

 

His attention was diverted to Ollie, who was still on his own over by the line of trees. The man was clearly in pain, pus was beginning to ooze from his blistered and burned face and nobody was paying any attention to his desperate pleas for help. Shark knew they could hear Ollie, but as each pirate walked anywhere near the pitiful man, they would put their head down and completely ignore him. Ollie’s eyes were wide and filled with tears, he was terrified because he knew what was to become of him. This had happened before, the demeanor of the crew was a dead giveaway, he was a lost cause and nobody was allowed to help him. Desperation filled his tone as he continued to call out, begging to his shipmates, pleading for his life. He was unable to eat or drink since yesterday and he was now in the full sunlight, quickly dehydrating, his lips dry and cracked as was his tongue. His voice sounded like gravel and dry leaves crackling by the time almost everyone had walked by him, eyes downcast and faces turned away as they headed back to the ship.

 

Ollie’s gaze slowly lifted as a shadow fell over him, providing him with a little relief from the glaring harsh rays of the sun and the burning sand.

 

“Please,” he croaked, his vision blurry now and his eyes sunken in a little, “Shark, help me.. I don’t want to die here like this.”

 

Shark stared down at him and produced a bottle of water, Ollie tried to lick his lips in anticipation, opening his mouth and lifting his head slightly. A groan escaped Ollie’s dry throat as Shark began to pour the cool, refreshing liquid… out onto the sand. Ollie’s head dropped back down and he sighed defeatedly, his chest tightened and heaved as he tried to sob but he had no moisture enough left to form any tears now.

 

Shark smiled and knelt down beside Ollie, setting the empty bottle down into the quickly drying sand.

 

“I’d not piss on you at this point, Ollie,” Shark hissed at him.

 

Slowly, he got back to his feet and began to walk towards the last of the group of pirates, ready to leave the island.

 

“Shark!” Ollie called to him one last time.

 

Shark stopped and looked around at him.

 

“This is my fate for having lived a life of terrible deeds,” Ollie’s voice crackled, “it is the fate of all pirates to die horribly, take a good long look at me, Shark.. Someday, it’ll be your turn.”

 

Shark gazed down at him for several long moments, Ollie coughed and shook as he tried to get to his hands and knees.

 

“Perhaps it will be someday,” Shark finally spoke again, “but not today.”

 

He turned and continued on back to the ship, ignoring Ollie’s screams of his name and the profanities that soon followed once Ollie realized the fruitlessness of his efforts.

 

Once everyone was back onboard, the food was stored and the water taken to the coolest deck of the ship. It wasn’t very loud or boisterous right away, everyone seemed to be in quite a depressed mood despite their spirits having soared last night. Part of it was attributed to the general feeling of sickness, having overeaten and drank themselves into a stupor. But much of it had to do with leaving a fellow human being behind to suffer a slow and painful death, as it could just as easily have been any one of them.

 

It was a sobering thought to remember that none of them were irreplaceable, they were all expendable and when it came down to it, it truly would be every man for himself.


	17. Jungle Fever

Fruit was an important part of a diet, especially at sea. Scurvy was a very real threat if fruit was not regularly consumed, so the haul was a good one. It was a fragile and perishable substance, so it’d not last more than a few days out here. This meant that anyone could take as much of it as they pleased, so long as none of it went to waste. Nobody questioned Shark then, as he gathered up an armful of the stuff because he was well known to have the appetite of a swiftly growing young lad and he was thus able to keep a steady supply of fruit going down to Marie.   
  
  
However, within a few days of the fruit turning bad and having to be dumped overboard, some of the pirates began to show symptoms of fever. The ship was almost at a standstill as more than half the crew came down with the illness and when the first death occurred, Shark went to see Spider in his Quarters.  
  
  
“Captain, we cannot continue on like this!” Shark insisted, “we’ll all perish!”  
  
  
“Damnit Shark! Don’t you think I know that?” Spider slammed his fist down onto his desk, “what do you suggest we do? Hm? We’re too far from anywhere to get them to a doctor!”  
  
  
“We must throw them off the ship,” Shark insisted, lowering his voice, “it’s the only way!”  
  
  
Spider lifted his gaze slowly to meet with Shark’s, truly the man had no conscience to speak of.  
  
  
“We can’t just go throwing every sick man overboard!” Spider argued, “there’d be a damn mutiny!”  
  
  
“We do it in the night,” Shark suggested evenly, “when everyone’s asleep. We say they died and that’s the end of it!”  
  
  
Spider shivered but not visibly, he didn’t want Shark to know that deep down he was afraid of his First Mate.  
  
  
“Sir?” Shark demanded with an air of impatience, his blue eyes fixed upon Spider and intently so.  
  
  
“Alright,” Spider relented, for he knew that even if he disagreed, Shark would somehow find a way to get the job done anyway, “we’ll do it tonight.”  
  
  
Shark nodded with a sigh of relief.  
  
  
“You’ve made the right decision,” Shark told Spider, “it’s the only way.”  
  
  
He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Spider to feel knots and churning in his guts for the remainder of the day. It’d been bad enough having to listen to Ollie plead for his life some days before, but now they were about to throw many more living people overboard and into the ocean.  
  
  
Shark stood at the stern of the ship, overlooking the glittering sea as the ship was basically just barely moving with the wind and the tide. Claude wandered over and leaned against the railing beside him, giving the blond pirate a quick glance over.  
  
  
“Do you think we might have a woman stowed away?” Claude wondered.  
  
  
Shark tensed a little, shaking his head slightly.  
  
  
“What makes you think that, Claude?” Shark asked him.  
  
  
“It’s this damn fever,” Claude worried.  
  
  
“You don’t honestly believe in bad luck, do you Claude?” Shark questioned his sanity. Claude fidgeted and shrugged, not really wanting to commit to an answer right away.  
  
  
“We’ve just visited a strange island,” Shark explained, “we probably picked it up there.”  
  
  
“Right, right,” Claude agreed quickly, “yes, you’re right Shark. I guess I’ve just been listening to too many tales lately.”  
  
  
“Do you fear for your life, then?” Shark asked.  
  
  
“Of course I do,” Claude admitted, “we all do, Shark. Some of us have families we don’t want to leave behind. Myself included. I’ve got a little girl back home, she’d be heartbroken if her father were to suddenly die. My wife lives on whatever I can send home, they’d die on the streets without me, she’s too proud to whore herself..”    
  
  
Shark nodded silently, he understood his reasons for not wanting to die of this fever and that everyone was on edge because of it but that didn’t mean he had to give a damn. He had to do what was best for the healthy members of the crew and that meant getting rid of all trace of the disease. If they continued to allow the dying pirates to stay onboard, the illness would just keep spreading to everyone else until there wasn’t a soul left alive. Shark set his jaw, steeling his resolve. This had gone on long enough, it was time to become the cure and send this run of bad luck down into the depths of the deep blue.  
  
  
“Are you not afraid?” Claude wondered, breaking into Shark’s silent thoughts.  
  
  
“Why should I be afraid?” Shark asked him, looking at the other pirate with a curious expression.  
  
  
“Oh I forgot,” Claude waved it away, “you don’t have a family, do you?”  
  
  
Shark turned his gaze back over to the sea.  
  
  
“Everyone aboard this ship is my family, Claude,” Shark told him quietly, “it’s the only one I’ve ever known.”  
  
  
Claude gave Shark’s shoulder a gentle but firm squeeze.  
  
  
“I’m sorry,” Claude apologized, “I didn’t think. It must be difficult for you.”  
  
  
Shark lowered his head and nodded.  
  
  
“Try not to worry,” Claude reassured him, “once the fever breaks, it’ll be clear sailing from then on.”   
  
  
Shark pursed his lips and Claude moved away to help with shifting the sails, but could they wait that long? What if the fever did not break? What if the disease simply continued to spread? Spider had been talking about there being too many men onboard, perhaps this was simply nature’s way of culling the unfit so that the strong could survive.  
  
  
*  
  
  
After dinner that night, Spider reclused into his cabin until after midnight when he heard a soft tapping upon his door. His heart thudded and his stomach flipped, dread filled his chest with heat and he began to perspire.  
  
  
“Captain,” Shark’s voice came through the door, “it’s time, sir.”  
  
  
Spider slowly got up out of his chair and opened the door, meeting Shark’s gaze with his own. Shark instantly noticed the reluctance in Spider’s eyes, but he was determined to see this through.  
  
  
“Let’s go,” Shark insisted hurriedly, “before anyone gets wise.”  
  
  
“One more day,” Spider tried to argue, “let’s just give it one more day.”  
  
  
“And see you or I fall next?” Shark wondered.  
  
  
Spider fell silent, defeated. They walked quietly down to the lower deck where the sick pirates were kept isolated from the rest of the crew, but they were met with a curious sight indeed. Many of them were sitting up in their beds, their eyes clear and their bodies no longer shivering.  
  
  
“What’s going on down here?” Spider demanded.  
  
  
“We’re getting better Captain,” Peter answered with a smile, “the fever’s broken, sir! We’ve beaten it!”  
  
  
Spider felt his knees just about turn to jelly, he wavered and Shark grabbed the Captain’s arm to hold him steady.  
  
  
“Sir?” Shark hissed. Spider turned and led Shark back out and up to his cabin, shutting the door behind them.  
  
  
“It’s over, Shark!” Spider scolded him angrily, “we very nearly went and drowned innocent men!”  
  
  
Shark balled his hands up into fists.  
  
  
“It was us or them!” Shark defended his actions, “we weren’t to know!”  
  
  
Spider took some deep breaths, the more intimately he got to know Shark, the less appealing the lad became.  
  
  
“Perhaps I should throw you overboard,” Spider grumbled. Shark barely even flinched at the threat, instead he simply inclined his head and looked at Spider with his most innocent stare. Spider always got weak at those big, blue eyes and now was no different than any other time Shark used them on him.  
  
  
“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for,” Spider uttered softly, but _was it?_  Shark moved closer and reached out to Spider, who swatted the boy’s hand away.  
  
  
“Get out,” Spider spoke sharply.  
  
  
Shark looked bewildered but slowly left the cabin, knowing better than to stick around once the Captain used that tone of voice. He wandered down into the Crew’s Quarters and got into his hammock, letting the familiar snores and grunts lull him into a deep sleep once more.  
  
  
Spider took a long time to fall asleep that night, he lay there with his eyes wide open and startling at every sudden noise. He slept fitfully, dreaming of the day when Shark turned against even him, the end of the dream had him sitting bolt upright in his bed, drenched with sweat and shaking like a leaf. He was breathing heavily, his heart thumped madly in his chest and his eyes were darting around to see if Shark was somewhere in the cabin, waiting to jump him from out of the shadows. But he thought he was completely alone and he sighed, slumping back down in relief.  
  
  
“Captain,” Shark’s voice suddenly had Spider tensing up again, “I really don’t enjoy being threatened, sir.”    
  
  
Spider lifted his head to see the blond pirate standing there at the foot of his bed. Spider swallowed dryly, this was it..  
  
  
He was a dead man for sure.


	18. Heart of Coal

“Shark,” Spider tried to sound confident but his voice trembled and gave him away at once.

 

Shark was quick as a whip and very attentive, astute and keenly perceptive, he didn’t miss a beat. There was a long, silent pause then because Shark hadn’t responded but it was obvious that he’d picked up on the Captain’s anxiety.

 

“Land Ho!” came a sudden cry that shattered the deathly silence and had all the crew rushing up onto the deck.

 

Spider glanced to the door as it opened, unable to help but notice the glint of metal out of the corner of his eye coming from where Shark was standing. All he could think was: Cutlass.

 

“We’ve spotted land, Captain,” Claude stood in the doorway to make his announcement, “what’re your orders, sir?”

 

Spider hesitated and glanced briefly at Shark, to which Claude then followed the gesture and frowned.

 

“Shark? What’re you doing in here?” Claude wondered, looking down at the Captain who was still in his bed, “sir? Is everything alright? You look a bit pale.”

 

“Perhaps he’s coming down with that fever,” Shark muttered, moving slowly to exit the room.

 

Claude shifted aside to let Shark out and then turned his attention back to Spider, a curious expression on his face as he wondered just what was going on in here before he’d opened the door.

 

“Sir, the men will talk,” Claude spoke softly.

 

“The men can mind their own damn business!” Spider spoke firmly, “what are we lookin’ at?”

 

“It’s definitely a port,” Claude replied, “there’s a town visible.”

 

“Alright,” Spider nodded, “we need this. Set a course for this town, let’s take a few days to recover from this ruddy nightmare.”

 

“Yes Captain,” Claude nodded, he paused as if he had something more on his mind but he soon closed the door and went to pass on the orders to the rest of the crew.

 

Once the ship was docked, the crew left to enjoy whatever sights and pleasures the little town had to offer. It was a familiar setting in that they had been here once before, some years ago now and so their crimes were stale and much forgotten about.

 

Spider was drinking in a little establishment on the corner, when someone sat beside him.

 

“Lionel,” Spider smiled at his old friend, “it’s been too long, how you be?”

 

“Not too bad,” Lionel shrugged and shook hands with Spider, “how about you? Still havin’ trouble with that Shark of yours?”

 

“Mhm,” Spider lifted his mug to his lips, looking around to make sure Shark wasn’t there listening in.

 

“You’re better off without him, y’know,” Lionel tapped the bar to summon the bartender, “I can get rid of him for you.”

 

“You can?” Spider suddenly looked at him curiously, “but how? He’s like a fox, far too clever to be caught.”

 

“Just send him to the alley behind the bakery,” Lionel nodded to Spider, “trust me, the problem will solve itself.”

 

He ordered his drink and picked it up once the bartender had delivered it, then he looked to Spider once more.

 

“Think about it,” Lionel told him softly, “it may be your only chance.”

 

Spider watched him rejoin his friends, then he sat back and thought about what Lionel had told him. It was a difficult decision to make, Spider really loved the Shark and for a long time he honestly believed that Shark had felt the same way. In the end, he knew that should they set sail in the next few days with Shark still on board then his days as Captain were severely numbered. Shark clearly had an eye on Spider’s throat and it wasn’t for planting affectionate bites either, there was an invisible line across the front of his neck and if he didn’t act soon, Shark’s cutlass would soon be drawing it for real.

 

He was startled out of his thoughts when someone sat down beside him again, Spider’s gaze lifted but he didn’t need to see or hear the man to know it was Shark himself this time. The smell of perfumed soaps and scented oils was enough to alert him to this fact, as any other male would smell of his own musk.

 

“Shark, do you know where the bakery is?” Spider reluctantly asked him.

 

“I think I remember,” Shark nodded, turning to look at him, “why?”

 

“I uh, I think I dropped my gold pocket watch in the alley behind it,” Spider lied, “would you go take a look?”

 

Shark’s gaze was steady as he stared at the Captain, his eyes drifted down and then back up again. He said nothing more as he stood and left the tavern, Spider exhaled a breath of air he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. But had he done the right thing? Should he rush out there and stop Shark from walking into the hands of death? His gaze flicked over to Lionel, who gave him a firm nod and Spider turned back to the bar. He glanced down and swallowed dryly, noticing that his gold pocket watch was sitting right there just inside his pants pocket. Exposed and easily seen by anyone, Shark would have noticed it surely..

 

So then, _why did he go?_

 

Shark knew this town like the back of his hand of course, so he was very confident he could locate the bakery but what he didn’t understand was why the Captain had lied to him. He had definitely seen the watch sticking out of Spider’s pocket, but he was a curious thing and was keen to find out what was really waiting for him in the alley. Once he got there, Shark stopped abruptly and looked down at a man slumped against the wall. The man was burly and had dark hair, a thick beard and fierce brown eyes.

 

He also held a gun and it was directly pointed at the Shark.

 

“Didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” the man’s voice sounded forced and tired, like he was nearing death, “d’you remember me, Shark?”

 

“I remember everyone, Derrick,” Shark replied calmly.

 

“Good,” Derrick wheezed, “then you remember what you did to me.”

 

“I remember,” Shark nodded, not even flinching when Derrick turned to look at him fully.

 

The left side of Derrick’s face was stained with tendrils of red marks, scarred and blinded, his eye was white and useless.

 

“I also remember what you did to deserve it,” Shark added.

 

“I did nothing to deserve the living hell you condemned me to!” Derrick spat angrily, “I was a respected Blacksmith until you came along and ruined my life! When you threw that thing at my face and left me with this horrible scar, everything changed. The townspeople came less and less frequently to ask for my services. They became afraid to look at me, I lost my job and my home. Now people throw rocks and rotting fruit at me, the children either run screaming in terror or taunt me with their hurtful chants..”

 

He slowly lowered the gun, not having enough energy anymore to keep it raised.

 

“But I know you couldn’t give a damn,” Derrick spoke again, “I’ve waited so long for this moment, to finally be able to exact my revenge upon you but you know what? I don’t need to. I’ve spent years plotting your demise, Shark. Wasted years wanting you dead, or at least in sufferance.”

 

Shark simply watched and listened, curious as to why the gun had been lowered before even a single bullet could be fired.

 

“All I asked of you was what you owed me,” Derrick went on, clearly weakening, “nothing more, just a few copper coins for my work.”

 

“You manhandled me,” Shark insisted.

 

“You weren’t going to pay!” Derrick argued tiredly, “I needed those coins to keep food on my table, you had plenty enough to spare and yet you just couldn’t part with them! Nary a one!”

 

A long silence ensued as Derrick caught his breath.

 

“Aah, but you know what, Shark?” Derrick sighed, “I’m not gonna shoot you.”

 

Shark looked most puzzled.

 

“Why?” he asked, shaking his head slightly, “why wouldn’t you now that you’ve finally got the chance?”

 

“Because,” Derrick let go of the gun and drew his hand away from it, “I don’t hate you anymore, Shark. I pity you.”

 

“Don’t,” Shark spoke through clenched teeth, “you don’t pity me, nobody does! Take it back! Take it back right now or so help me I’ll..”

 

“You’ll what, Shark?” Derrick wondered softly, “hmm? Kill me? Look at me, I’m dying you foolish boy! But at least I can go to my grave with a clear conscience, unlike you.. You don’t have one, do you, Shark? There’s no little voice in the back of your head telling you that maybe something isn’t such a good idea, is there?”

 

Shark didn’t answer him.

 

“I’ve wanted to kill you for a long, long time,” Derrick gasped and clutched at his own chest, “but you.. You’re already dead, aren’t ya? On the inside.. Where it really counts.. Your heart is blacker than a shark’s eyes, everybody knows it. No wonder your mother didn’t want you..”

 

Shark simply stared at him, his lips parted but nothing came out.

 

“What’s the matter huh?” Derrick asked him, “shark got your tongue?”

 

He started to laugh but ended up coughing and wheezing.

 

“Ya don’t say much,” Derrick spoke one final time, “but I can’t think of a fate worse than death, worse than being an outcast, even worse than torture.. You’re in sufferance already, Shark. You just don’t know it yet, but you will. Someday you will come to realize just how black and dead you are inside and on that day..”

 

He coughed and struggled to breathe.

 

“..On that day,” he wheezed his last words, “..I… Win..”

 

Shark stared at him as he slumped and shuddered, within seconds Derrick was dead.

 

“Shark!” Claude’s voice called to him from the other end of the alley, “you coming or what?”

 

“Yeah,” Shark called, not taking his eyes off Derrick as he softened his voice, “I’m comin’.”

 

He knelt down and took the gun, then stepped over the lifeless body and headed back out into the busy street.

 

“You alright?” Claude wondered as Shark joined him, “you look a little pale there..”

 

“I’m fine,” Shark spoke fiercely, setting his jaw.

 

Claude fell silent as he walked alongside Shark, clearly he wasn’t fine but once Shark’s jaw set like that, there really was no point in arguing if one valued one’s life. They reached the tavern and sat down near the Captain, who looked a little ill when he saw that Shark had returned unscathed. Shark looked at him and inclined his head, his eyes firmly locked onto Spider’s and he only uttered two words to the Captain:

 

_“Nice try.”_


End file.
